Dead Again
by TheUltimateFangirlOfFangirling
Summary: They were all dead. Blood covered the guild and only a few were left to pick up the pieces. If you were given a chance to start over and save everyone, would you do it? Could you do it? Rated T for TEEN or older. If you don't fit in this category, reading is not recommended. Genres: Mystery, Violence, Tragedy, Romance (Note: I do not own the cover image.)


September 3rd, X791

Sweat trickled down my face as picked my whip off the debris covered floor. The dim light shining in the room scattered across a final scene of devastation. I looked around at the death in the room that I had ultimately caused.

A mangled body fell into my sight and I only had to take one step to see the card mage's body had been another victim in my curse. Her torso was covered in a frightening amount blood released from the gaping wound near her heart. A large knife, embedded in her stomach, pinned her body to the floor.

I felt warmth slip down my cheek as the tears began to openly flow. "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so, so sorry." I kneeled by my friend and held her head in my lap, her eyes staring soullessly into the darkness.

The curse was evil. This curse was the reason behind the death of so many people and I was the one who had to bear it. I remembered finding the blood on my hands and in my blonde hair, as it clumped patches together. I could imagine the horror in the eyes of the innocent guildmates I had slaughtered mercilessly.

I whispered into the darkness, "So many of my friends and family have died because of me. Natsu, Romeo, Wendy, Levy." My eyes glazed over as I reached for a long shard of glass on the floor. "I can't handle it anymore, Cana. You shouldn't have died. I could have protected you by doing this a long, long time ago."

I felt my grip on the glass tighten, drawing blood from my hand as I raised the piece to be level with my neck. The sharp point taunted me as I watched the blood from my hand begin to drip on the floor. One drop. Two drops. Three drops. I plunged the sharp point into my throat with every bit of force I could muster, and fell to the ground.

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In the end there was pain. I deserved it.

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In the end I was alone. I deserved it.

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In the end I was met with a tragic death. I deserved it.

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"Lucy!" A voice screamed as a raven-haired mage ran to the blonde's form. The beautiful girl who had once been one of the poster girls for the guild, shining with kindness and caring, was lying on the ground, gurgling. A piece of glass had been wedged in her throat, but in the end, it resulted in her drowning from her own blood. "Dammit Lucy! Why the fuck would you do this?!" He yelled at the dying light with streaks of blood and tears across his face. "We need you! This," He gestured to the catastrophe. "none of this was your fault!"

"End it." A final wish rasped from her mouth.

Gray lifted his head with an emotionless expression covering his face. The events of this day were going to be remembered as September third X791, the day Fairy Tail fell. The ice mage lifted his arm and coated it until a crystal clear blade condensed to his skin.

With one battle cry, shaking with tears, he reared back and plunged his weapon into the celestial mage, ending her pain. The game was over, and death had won.

Gray woke with a start. He couldn't remember getting to bed after the traumatizing events of yesterday, but who knows, perhaps he had drank his sorrows away with the few remaining guild members and then returned home late. The ice mage slowly shuffled out of his bed and thought to himself as he got dressed. He knew today was going to be the day of mourning, but he didn't know how long he had left before the shock of his nakama's deaths were replaced by pain that would devour him entirely.

How many of his friends had been killed? His head scrambled to stack the bodies. Lucy, Wendy, Romeo, Natsu, Levy, Cana, and twelve other guild members had been killed by the curse. Gray stopped himself to ask, what curse could do something so terrible as to ruin the lives of so many people, including the blonde it had inhabited? He had never seen the curse in action, just the sorry aftermath that followed each and every blow.

Images flashed in his mind. A young healer and fire mage stapled to the roof of the guild, their faces wearing the exact terror they had faced the moment of death. A petite bluenette found behind the bar with a slice cut clean through her stomach. Natsu, of all people, found dead in his home after the guild noticed his unexplained absence for a few days. The stupid flamebrain was actually probably the first victim based on the amount of decay they had discovered on his body. Dammit, Gray missed the bastard a lot more than he had let on to his family. He missed them all.

A knock on the door brought him back to reality. "Come in." The words had no sooner left his mouth before a blue-haired water mage ran in and tackled him to the ground.

"Gray-sama, why didn't you come eat breakfast at the guild!? You promised." Tears sprang out of the water woman's eyes at took the form of a rain shower.

"What the hell, Juvia? You think this is any time to be getting upset over some stupid breakfast?" Gray rose to tower over Juvia as his emotions carried him higher. "You're supposed to be mourning! The guild is supposed to be mourning!"

"G-g-gray-sama, you must not be feeling well. Everyone is fine." The rain woman lifted her hands to timidly rest on Gray's shoulders as she stared into his eyes. "Juvia is worried about her Gray-sama."

Gray pushed her hands off and marched towards the front door. "Screwing with me on a day like this is sick, Juvia. I'm heading over to the guild." Gray broke into a sprint after leaving his doorstep, tears threatening to fall down his cheeks. Was Juvia in denial? Gray supposed that everyone had their own method of coping with the deaths but this was just too much.

The ice mage raced up to the guild hall and came to a stop in front of the doors. This was it. He was about to face his grieving family knowing that he had been the one to end Lucy's life. He opened the doors and stepped inside.

"Goodmorning Gray!" A cheery barmaid called out to the distant ice mage. "I hope you slept well!" She looked behind him. "Where's Juvia? I thought she went over to get you."

Gray's heart sunk. Was the entire guild in denial? "Juvia's on her way." He dragged his feet to sit at a nearby table and held his head on his hands. How would he get them to accept that their friends were dead?

"Are you alright, Gray? Something seems to be troubling you."

A voice in the back of Gray's mind pushed him to speak the truth. "Eighteen members of my family are dead, I have reason enough to be upset." The look on Mira's face was one of utter shock.

"I'm so sorry Gray, I didn't know. Was it Lyon?"

Gray snapped. "What the fuck is wrong with you people?! You act like they never died! You want to know who's dead, Mira? Romeo, Wendy, Levy, Cana, Natsu,…" his voice dropped to a whisper, "and Lucy all died .

Mira's face dropped from shock to worry. "Gray, they're fine. Look around you."

Gray turned to see his guildmates staring at him; some looked fearful but most looked worried. He saw Levy first, sitting next to Gajeel at their usual table; the bluenette's eyes were wide with a near look of fear coating her usual happy aura. The ice mage's stare subconsciously tightened her grasp on the iron dragon slayer.

Her voice spoke out softly. " I'm not dead. I'm right here. Right in front of you." Gray's head ran through emotions faster than a sprinter leaping hurdles. Relief, Disbelief, Regret, Sorrow, Pain. He didn't even notice he had begun crying until the barmaid beside him wiped his tears and put a hand to his forehead.

"You must be sick, I'll take you to the infirmary." Gray nodded numbly to the barmaid. The doors to the guild suddenly opened and the guild's most rambunctious dragon slayer ran in with the guild's celestial mage by his side.

Lucy called out happily, "Morning!" The guild mumbled responses back but most of their attention was still attached to Gray. Natsu noticed Mira placing a hand on Gray's forehead.

"Is the stripper sick?" Mira nodded her head and told Gray to go on ahead to the infirmary.

The ice mage ignored the white-haired mage and moved like a soulless creature, astounded by the people who had just appeared in front of him. He suddenly started running towards the celestial mage and pulled her into a tight hug. The guild took in a deep breath at his action. Lucy rose her eyebrows to place a concerned and confused look on her face, before she gently returned the hug, wrapping her arms gently around his neck.

"It's good to see you too, Gray." She felt warm tears fall on her face and she pushed Gray away so she could look him in the eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"No, not anymore." The ice mage smiled brightly and wiped his tears away. Gray thanked whatever gods had given him this miracle and he knew he wouldn't miss this chance to protect his friends.

"Okay! Just let me know when you are feeling off, I'd like to help you if I can." Lucy gave a half-hearted smile and left Gray as she headed over to the request board. "Mira, Natsu and I are taking this mission!"

"Is this the one to decipher the runes? Can you do this Lucy? Even Freed couldn't figure this one out."

"Well, I've been studying! I'm sure I'll be able to do this." Hearing these words, Gray froze. A strange sense of deja vu passed over him.

"I've heard this before." He mumbled to himself.

"Don't worry Mira!" Natsu slung his arm over his friend's shoulder. "Lucy's a genius. I'm sure she'll figure it out!"

"Alright you two, I put you down in the books. Have a safe trip!" As the happy duo left the guild, Lucy shot one last glance back at the silent ice mage.

Gray wandered along the streets with his head down as he ran over the events of the past few hours. The friends that he had watched die over the course of last week were alive and well. Life was normal now, with no evidence of the nightmare he had been living for the previous few days. What happened? Did he imagine the entire thing? Maybe so. His steps suddenly stopped and his eyes widened as he saw today's newspaper in the hands of a townsperson.

"Can I see that?" The man handed the paper over to the near frantic mage. The paper seemed normal, with a story about the revival of Fairy Tail gracing the top of the page. However, the moment Gray saw the date in the top corner of the page, his heart dropped. It read August 28, X791; a week before the end.

Had he seen ahead to the future? Did something or someone hand Gray this vision to give him an opportunity to save the lives that would otherwise be lost?

The ice mage's mind dropped into a full sprint. 'Lucy kills Cana, Wendy and Romeo on the third. Lucy kills Levy on the 1st. Lucy kills Natsu...' Gray felt his mind awaken to the truth behind what was going on. 'Lucy kills Natsu after they get back from the rune deciphering mission.'

Gray threw the paper back at the man and began rushing to the train station. 'I can stop this before it even starts. My premonition, or whatever it was, will ultimately save them all.'


End file.
